Re: What Are The Chances Of Me Being Diagnosed With Lupus If My Mother Had It

Hi. I've read that people who have lupus in first-degree relatives have a *slightly* increased chance of developing it & that it's very far from a "given" that you'll end up with it. (The odds in identical twins are a lot higher than in, say, mother-daughter.)

I think the mainstream lupus books speak to this: you could find some at your local library or bookstore. Also, you could make sure that you're familiar with the classic signs & symptoms. Even though your risk may not be elevated much at all, you'd maybe feel more comfortable if you were armed with some up-to-date basic knowledge. And be mindful of sun exposure (which everyone should be, lupus or no lupus).

Re: What Are The Chances Of Me Being Diagnosed With Lupus If My Mother Had It

i think it differs based on clinician...

growing up, no one said it was heriditary, so i never worried about it...

when i first started going to the doctor, they said it wasn't possible... by the time i was diagnosed, more doctors agreed that it was genetically involved...

who knows?

i know that my mother has a "mutated" form of it according to docs and that her mother died of it in the 50's... and all of her mother's 7 sisters had other autoimmune disorders including one other w/lupus (discoid)...